Nikki Blaise

I stopped reading the novel at around the 50% mark.

The premise of the novel has potential, even though the plot line does not appear to be a very deep one.
Woman is uncertain about her sexual skill, and takes paid lessons from a younger man at an institute devoted to sexual liberation. Although the rules state no romantic involvement between staff and customers is allowed, woman falls in love with man, and vice versa.

My main gripes:

The novel could have done with a good editor of the variety that is unafraid to use a large scissors to ruthlessly cut out all the superfluous paragraphs, sentences, words, etc. There is just too many words in this novel that do not contribute anything to the story telling.

The main character, Stacie, got on my nerves. I had expected to find a somewhat unconventional, open-minded woman when I read in the blurb that she was willing to take sex lessons by hiring a tutor to regain her sexual confidence after her recent escape from an abusive marriage. That she is nervous in the first chapter, where she steps in to the "school", seemed only logical. In the following chapters however, she repeatedly exhibits behavior and opinions that I would describe as narrow-minded, judgemental, bigotted even.
Her tutor, Dan, does his best to respond to her outbursts with diplomacy, neither judging her nor confirming her for her opinions, while providing her with an alternative perspective on what she's going on about at any given time. All I can say is, he's more patient than I would have expected anyone to be, but then again, she is his paying customer.… (más)